The Parting of the Ways
by rymphadoraforever394
Summary: Barty Crouch Jr. has made a mistake that is going to cost him his soul. The Ninth Doctor is regenerating; as the Tenth Doctor emerges, he realizes immediately that this is not a normal regeneration. Through a series of flashbacks the Doctor figures out who this man was and how they are connected. Has some Greek Mythology that is explained. Rated T for future chapters, may change.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi guys! This is my first fanfic, so go a little easy on me. Please review. Everything helps, so please give (constructive) criticism. HUGE thanks to Michaela, Zoe, and Sara, who were my first reviewers and are the best friends I could ask for. Enjoy (hopefully)!**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT, in any way, own Doctor Who or Harry Potter. I honestly wish I had enough talent to come up with these amazing characters, but I don't. Though, to be honest I really want to run away with Ten and Rose and keep them locked away forever because they're pretty freaking adorable.**

**Chapter 1: The Death of Barty Crouch Jr.**

The old man threw him into the small cell at the top of the highest tower. Barty Crouch Jr. had almost fooled the Headmaster- but he had made a mistake that was now going to cost him his soul. How could he have forgotten to take the potion? It was so simple— take the potion every hour—yet he failed. He rested his head against the cold stone and his memories came flooding back to him. The betrayal of his father, the love his mother rarely showed him, and the comfort he had found in knowing the Dark Lord understood. He remembered that first meeting with the Dark Lord quite clearly.

"_Who are you?" A cold, snake-like hiss of a voice asked in the darkness._

"_Barty Crouch Jr," He answered. The cruel voice hissed. He couldn't tell if the man was pleased with this information._

"_And your father works for the Ministry of Magic?"_

"_Yes, sir." The man laughed. It wasn't a warm laugh- it was cold and heartless; it sent a shiver down Crouch's spine._

"_You might be useful, Crouch. But tell me, why would you want to join my ranks?"_

"_I am capable of more than my father believes."_

"_I believe you, Crouch," the man hissed. "But first you must prove yourself."_

"_What would you like me to do, sir?" Crouch asked eagerly. This would show his father that he was capable of great things. Not good, of course, but great._

"_You will address me as 'my lord' when you speak directly to me, Crouch!" The Lord hissed._

"_Yes, si- my lord."_

"_You shall call me the Dark Lord when you speak of me, for you shall never refer to me by name! I am your lord, and you are my servant!"_

"_Yes, my lord."_

"_Are you willing to complete a task for me?"_

"_Anything, my lord."_

"_Are you familiar with the village of Godric's Hollow?"_

"_Yes, my lord."_

"_I need you to murder every last muggle in that dirty village."_

"_But why, my lord?"_

"_You should be able to carry out this task without an explanation, Crouch!"_

"_Yes, sorry, my lord."_

"_They are disgusting creatures! They are insignificant! Their lives do not matter! That is why you will murder them! Am I clear, Crouch?"_

"_Y-yes, my lord."_

He remembered carrying out the task and the Dark Lord's condescending praise. That was when he received his Dark Mark; he had just turned seventeen and secretly left school. He remembered the agonizingly slow process, how it burned into his skin and tingled for days afterward. He felt the slight tingle of his Dark Mark now, even as he was approaching death. Crouch could already feel the cool air that always came with a dementor's presence. It penetrated his clothes and made him shiver. He wondered what it was like- death. Although he wasn't _dying_, he'd be a lifeless form, wandering without a purpose. He heard the door open and a wave of cold air crashed on top of him; he felt the ice creeping closer to him and covering the walls of the small room. The dementors were here.

"You didn't have to choose this. You were such a wonderful boy," Dumbledore said.

"Yes I did! There was no other path! I am proud to have served the Dark Lord until death! This is my final destination! The Dark Lord will be proud of me, his only loyal servant who escaped Azkaban to serve him!" Crouch shouted towards the dark figure looming in the doorway.

"You are not proud, Barty. You are still the frightened little boy who stepped into the Great Hall all those years ago," Dumbledore replied calmly.

"I am proud! This is who I am!"

"It is not," Dumbledore simply stated. "Dementors, take him."

The dementor entered, sticking out a scaly, rough hand to reach behind Crouch's neck; he felt himself being pulled closer and closer to the dementor. When he was five inches from the dark creature, the dementor used its free hand to pull down its hood. The dementor's mouth was a deep, cavernous black hole in the middle of a grotesque skull that made him want to vomit. The smell was unbearable- a mix between rotten fish, bad breath, and day-old trash. It was almost enough to make Crouch pass out. The dementor took a deep breath in, and he almost screamed from the pain. It felt like his entire body was being ripped apart; the agony was unbearable. He felt his memories slipping away, one by one: everything he had ever experienced, everything he had ever done, it was disappearing forever. He felt as though his body was being torn in half…then he stopped feeling anything; he was numb and lifeless. Barty Crouch Jr. was dead.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Doctor's Regeneration**

"But you can't go!" A sobbing 20-year-old girl with shoulder- length blonde hair stood, shaking, in front of the man she loved.

"I'm not 'going' anywhere, Rose. I'm simply regenerating," the ninth regeneration of the Doctor replied calmly.

"Are you going to be a completely different person?"

"Yes."

"Will you—will you remember me?" Rose's bottom lip was trembling.

"Of course. How could I forget you? Rose Tyler, the Bad Wolf, the Girl Who Saved the Universe," the Doctor grinned as his hands started to glow.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

There was a binding flash of an unearthly golden light. The Doctor felt every particle in his body expanding and morphing as Rose watched with fascination and horror; her tears drying. He let the golden light consume him, changing his body down to the last molecule. After what felt like an eternity, the Doctor's cells resettled and the golden light faded. The tenth regeneration of the Doctor was born.

"New teeth. That's interesting," the Doctor remarked, moving his tongue around in his mouth. He moved his long and slender fingers, flexing them and getting used to the way they moved. He continued to feel his new body until he heard the girl behind him clear her throat. The Doctor turned around and grinned as his eyes rested upon Rose.

"Hello, Doctor," Rose said quietly. She did not recognize this man. Was he really her Doctor?

"Hello Rose! Now, I need you to answer one very, very important question for me."

"What's that?"

"Am I—ginger?" Rose held back a laugh as she saw the Doctor's face become more and more serious, as if this question was the most important one in the universe.

"Uh…no. You're sort of…brownish."

"Why? Why couldn't I be ginger? I'm never ginger!" the Doctor exclaimed. Rose smiled. This man may be new and mysterious, but he still had all of the Doctor's strange quirks and oddities. Suddenly the Doctor's face contorted with pain.

"Doctor? Doctor! What's wrong?" Rose was worried. Was this normal? She wasn't exactly an expert on Time Lord regeneration.

"No. Nothing. It's fine. It's just…so many memories came with this body," the Doctor winced but it seemed as though most of the pain was gone.

"What do you mean, 'so many memories came with this body'? That's not someone else's body, is it?" Rose was horrified to think the Doctor had stolen not only someone else's body, but their memories as well.

"No. Well, not anymore, anyway. Technically speaking, this body is modeled off of somebody else's. It's not _them _though. Just their body. And occasionally their memories, but I've never had quite so many before. This is new."

"You have someone else's memories?" Rose was curious now. Horrified and curious.

"Well, yes. How familiar are you with Greek Mythology?"

"With—what?"

"Greek Mythology."

"Oh, um…yeah. I mean, I know the gods and goddesses and stuff. Why?"

"Are you familiar with the way death and the Underworld works?"

"Not really. May have missed that lesson. I remember Hades, though. What's this got to do with having somebody else's memories?"

"Trust me, I'll get to that in a second. So, the Underworld. In Greek Mythology, there were different places you would end up after you died within the Underworld depending on who you were when you died. With me so far?"

"Yeah, but—"

"In a second, Rose. The first level of the Underworld was Tartarus. That was where the Titans ended up. Only really, really bad people could end up there, and those who did where usually immortal or demigods. You were tortured. Tartarus was what we would picture Hell as today. If you died as a bad person—you know, a thief or conman or criminal — you'd end up in the Fields of Punishment, doing some sort of punishment for eternity."

"Like that guy…Sisyphus! The one who cheated Death! He had to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity, yeah?"

"Yes, exactly! Anyway, the next area of the Underworld were the Fields of Asphodel. That was where your run-of-the-mill, neither fully good nor fully bad people ended up. Lastly, there were Elysium and the Isles of Blest. If you died a hero, you would end up in Elysium. That was one of the best places to go—it was better than the Fields of Asphodel. It was almost like you were still living a full life. However, those who ended up in Elysium could also have the option to be reborn and do even more good on Earth. If those people died three times as a hero, they'd end up in the Isles of Blest. Very, very few people ended up there. You were forced to give up your memories if you chose to be reborn. It was possible that you could end up as a bad person in one of your new lives."

"That's risky. Who'd want to do that?"

"Oh, Rose. The Isles of Blest were paradise in the Underworld."

"Thanks for the history lesson, Doctor, but I still don't understand what this has to do with regeneration."

"Ah. Well, now that you have the context, I can explain. Time Lords have been regenerating since the creation of Gallifrey and its people. But, you see, it is impossible to rewrite your genetics so completely without some sort of model. The very first Time Lords devised a method to give us new bodies, and non-Time Lords second chances. Whenever we regenerate, we take on the body and sometimes the memories of those who need second chances, whether they be criminals or people who lost so much in their short existence on Earth or elsewhere. Usually we only get a few memories, but for some reason I seem to have taken in this man's entire life story. That should only happen if—but no, that's impossible!" The Doctor was running his hands through his hair. Rose could almost see the thousands and thousands of thoughts being formed and cast aside in the Doctor's head.

"What? What is it, Doctor? Why is it impossible?"

"Because, Rose, we only take important memories…or memories that are lost."

"So then that would mean—"

"Yes. That would mean that whoever this man was, he lost all of his memories. Every single last one of them. But Rose…there's something else, too. I can feel it."

"What, Doctor?"

"This man…he lost his soul."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Souls and Memories**

"But Doctor, that's not possible. Is it?" Rose asked tentatively. She and the Doctor had faced odd things for sure. Things nobody would ever believe. But losing your soul? Rose had never heard of anything that could remove something so important to every living organism in the universe.

"I don't know. I've met alien life forms that could steal your memories, sure…but taking someone's soul?" The Doctor ran his hands through his hair, making it stick out in all directions. His eyes darted back and forth as he searched for an answer.

"Doctor, we'll find an answer," Rose said, knowing exactly what he was thinking.

"Maybe I'm wrong," the Doctor muttered. But he didn't look so sure. The Doctor knew he was right. What kind of creature could do that to a person? Was it a creature? Was it a machine? Was it even human? He couldn't figure it out and it was starting to irritate him.

"Doctor, could we—I mean, is it possible—to travel to his timeline?"

"Oh yes! Rose, you are brilliant! Why didn't I think of that? I'll have to disguise myself in some way, but that might just work!" The Doctor ran to the TARDIS console and began to press buttons, pull levers, and flip switches at lightning speed. He _had _to figure out what had happened. Otherwise, who knew what this creature could do? The entire human race could be in danger, and he would do anything in his power to protect it. "Allons-y!"

The TARDIS console began to smoke. Sparks flew, and the Doctor had no idea what was happening.

"What's going on? Doctor!" Rose shouted from his left.

"I don't know! It looks like she doesn't have enough power! He must be from a different dimension! We're going to have to take a detour through Cardiff to charge her up!" He shouted back, pulling more levers and running around the consol, trying to keep the TARDIS steady. As quickly as the TARDIS had started sparking, she stabilized and landed in Cardiff just over the Rift. "Rose? Are you alright?"

"Fine. I'm fine. But won't it take a while to charge if we need to go to a different dimension?"

"I'm not sure that's the only problem. I don't think the TARDIS is very fond of me crossing, essentially, my own timeline. What would happen if that man saw me? He'd think that he was losing his mind. I can disguise myself, sure, but I'm not sure how well we can fool him," the Doctor frowned in concentration. Suddenly, his eyes grew wide and there was white-hot pain searing through his skull. As he fell to the ground, Rose ran to his side.

"Doctor? Doctor! Can you hear me?"

"Need…sleep."

And the Doctor collapsed in Rose's arms.

_He looked in the mirror. Hair disheveled, clothes thrown on carelessly, and a half-packed trunk sitting on the floor near his feet. Sighing, he picked up the rest of his books and placed them neatly next to a wool cloak in his trunk._

"_Barty, are you almost ready? You're going to miss the train!" A woman in her mid-thirties stuck her head into the room._

"_Yes mum, I'm ready," the young boy grabbed his trunk and pulled it down the stairs. "As ready as I'll ever be, anyway."_

"_Don't be foolish, Barty. I loved Hogwarts. Finest school of Witchcraft and Wizardry there is," his father said as the boy reached the bottom of the rather long staircase._

"_Yes, sir," he answered._

"_Now, I have to go to work. The Ministry has got their hands full this week, I'm afraid. Behave yourself, Barty," his father nodded his head and went out the door. He hated his father; he was never kind and always treated him as someone completely inferior. He hated having his father's name: Barty Crouch. As if he'd ever want to be his father. Cold, heartless, and the only thing his father ever talked about was work. What was so interesting about the ministry? Nothing._

"_Barty, come on. We have to leave, and we have to take muggle transport to the station," his mother said, bringing him back to reality. He dragged his trunk outside to the car waiting for them at the bottom of the pathway. Once inside, he was free to lose himself in his thoughts once more. Why did his father care so much about work, anyway? He was never home. He didn't even know when his son was born because he had decided to stay at work. Work, work, work, official ministry business; that was all his father talked about. He had never once been asked, 'How are you today, Barty?' by his father. He had never even been addressed as 'son' or 'sweetheart' or anything that would ever imply that it was his father who was talking to him. _

_They had arrived at the station at this point, as it wasn't far from where they lived. He hauled his trunk to the platform as his mother walked silently beside him. When they had reached Platform 9 ¾, his mother embraced him for a brief moment._

"_Goodbye, Barty. Good luck. I expect letters from you," she said, kissing the top of his head quickly._

"_Yes, mum," he said, sitting down on the trunk and waiting for the train to arrive. He was alone, as usual. He watched as the other children began to arrive, some first-years like him, and others returning students. Their parents would stay with them until the train came, and then there would be tearful goodbyes full of kisses and hugs. He had never known that. His father was condescending and his mother only showed him love when his father was not there. _

"_Hello," a skinny boy with greasy black hair stood over him, smiling without any kindness and holding out his hand._

"_Hi," he replied, shaking the boy's hand and looking up. The boy was about three years older than him._

"_I'm Severus. Severus Snape. Are you a first year?"_

"_I'm Barty Crouch Jr. Yes. What year are you in?"_

"_Nice to meet you, Barty. I'm a fourth year. Slytherin. What house are you hoping to get into?"_

"_I don't know. I suppose anything but Gryffindor, since my father was a Gryffindor when he went to school," he responded. Severus smirked._

"_You don't have a good relationship with your father, then?"_

"_No, not particularly," he muttered._

"_I don't either, if that makes you feel any better. Where's your mum?"_

"_She left. She had to work around the house."_

"_Do you get along with her?"_

"_Better then my father, anyway."_

"_Well, Barty, consider me a friend. Oh look, here comes the train. Why don't you sit with me? We can talk about our rotten families," Severus said, grabbing his own trunk and flashing a grin. Barty nodded, following Severus to a compartment on the train._

The Doctor woke up with a cool cloth pressed against his forehead.

"About time you woke up," Rose said.

"How long was I out?" the Doctor was completely disoriented. Somehow he had been laid across the seats in the console room.

"No idea. An hour? Maybe two? Time sort of just gets away from you in the TARDIS," Rose responded, looking worried.

"Yeah, I suppose it does," the Doctor gave a half-hearted grin. Rose knew he was thinking about something.

"Doctor, what happened?"

"I have no idea," the Doctor lied.

"Doctor, _what happened?_" Rose pressed.

"I just had a flashback."

"Of the man's memories?" the Doctor nodded.

"He's not just 'the man' anymore," the Doctor muttered.

"You know his name?" Rose didn't know if she was more confused or worried.

"His name was Barty. Barty Crouch Jr."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay, not gonna lie, this chapter could use some work and I will DEFINITELY be editing this once I have more chapters done. Thank you to the followers, the favorites, and the reviews so far. They mean a lot. Chapter 5 is already in progress and I had ideas for that one while writing this one, so hopefully it turns out better. No promises for when that comes out though…my brother got me sick so I feel like crap and I really just want to sleep a lot. I didn't have time to edit this one as much as I edited the first three since I wanted to get this published for you lovely people ASAP, but hopefully it's not too bad. Okay, I'm done talking now. Read on...**

**Chapter 4: Alone**

"Barty Crouch Jr.? Bit of an odd name, isn't it?" Rose asked conversationally, helping the Doctor sit up.

"I've heard stranger," he shrugged.

"What was it? The flashback—what happened?"

"He—or I—was on some sort of…train, I guess. Going to school. That's what it was. I was going to school."

"That's it? You were just going to school?"

"Oh, don't say 'just', Rose. I wasn't 'just' going to school. There was something else. A boy—Snape. Severus Snape."

"Anything else?"

"His mum…she loved him, but he couldn't see it. And his dad wasn't such a great bloke—he was always at work. He felt abandoned."

"Sort of sad."

"He was alone, Rose. So alone. And I could feel his loneliness."

"Maybe it's just empathy. He is not you. We'll figure out what these flashbacks mean, I know it."

"Right. In the meantime, we need to figure out who he—" the Doctor froze mid-sentence as pain pierced his skull once more.

"Doctor? Doctor? What's wrong?"

"It's—it's another flashback—trying to get through—but I think I can—ah, that's better," the Doctor said, smiling and straightening his tie. Rose raised an eyebrow. "I think I can control when the flashbacks happen. Seems easy enough…I just need to put up mind blocks."

"But Doctor, the flashbacks could be important."

"Could be, might be, quite possible, actually. I find them to be a tad inconvenient, don't you?"

"Yeah, suppose so. Can you have flashbacks whenever you want then?"

"I think so. It'll be fun to try, won't it?" Rose grinned. This was the Doctor she knew; the Doctor who loved having new experiences and discovering new worlds. "Alright then…Rose, I need you to go down the middle hallway, take a right, and the third door on your left should be the Research Room. The computers in there have access to files from every dimension, every universe, and every world ever created. Look up this 'Barty Crouch Jr.' and see what you find."

"Yes, sir. What are you going to do?"

"I am going to fix her up," he said, motioning to the steaming TARDIS console. "And maybe have another flashback."

"Okay…meet you back here then," Rose said over her shoulder as she walked towards the hallway. She arrived at the door the Doctor was talking about and pushed it open. Inside were rows and rows of computers; it reminded her of the computer rooms at her school. Each row, as far as she could tell, had computers from different eras. Starting in the front, there was a row of the very first home computers; walking back farther into the room, the computers became more advanced and some rows included laptops. Finally reaching the modern age, she sat down at a monitor that reminded her of the one she had at home. Rose assumed a simple Google search would work, so she opened the browser and typed in 'barty crouch jr'. Opening the first link she saw lead her to what appeared to be a government file.

**BARTEMIUS "BARTY" CROUCH JR.**

WIZARD, PUREBLOOD

FATHER BARTEMIUS CROUCH SR: WORKS FOR MINISTRY OF MAGIC, DEPARTMENT OF

MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT

MOTHER MIRIAM CROSS: UNEMPLOYED

MOST RECENT HOUSE ELF(S): WINKY, BLINKY

BIRTHDATE: APRIL 18, 1963

DEATHDATE: JUNE 25, 1995

NOTES:

ATTENDED HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY: SLYTHERIN HOUSE

KNOWN DEATH EATER, EXTREMELY LOYAL TO YOU-KNOW-WHO

SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT IN AZKABAN FOR TORTURE OF AURORS FRANK

AND ALICE LONGBOTTOM BY MEANS OF THE CRUCIATUS CURSE

KNOWN TO HAVE USED ALL UNFORGIVBABLE CURSES

DANGEROUS: APPROACH WITH CAUTION

WAS ASSUMED TO HAVE DIED IN AZKABAN: PLOT INVOLVING MOTHER TRADING PLACES WITH HIM ALLOWED HIM TO ESCAPE (SEE DOCUMENT #670)

KEPT UNDER THE IMPERIUS CURSE WHILE LIVING IN HIS FATHER'S HOME

ESCAPED THE CURSE AND RETURNED TO HOGWARTS DISGUISED AS AUROR/PROFESSOR ALASTOR "MAD EYE" MOODY

SOUL REMOVED BY DEMENTOR'S KISS

**ALL INFORMATION WITHIN THIS DOCUMENT IS STRICTLY FOR USE OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC**

Rose didn't understand half the information in the document, but then again, she didn't understand many things from different universes. She sent it to the TARDIS console's video monitor, hoping the Doctor could shed some light on her findings, and walked back to the Console Room. She found the Doctor unconscious on the floor; it was another flashback.

"Here we go again…" Rose muttered.

**A/N Update, July 14, 2013: Hey guys. So by now, you have most likely heard the news about Cory Monteith, whether you're in the Glee fandom or not. I'm taking the news pretty hard (harder than I thought I would to be honest). I feel shitty emotionally and physically, so I'm so, so sorry, but I don't think I'm going to be able to update until next week sometime. Again, I'm really sorry. But this is hitting me pretty hard. Not to mention I have summer work to do for school. I would love to update it this coming weekend, but I just can't bring myself to write and I'm really, really sorry about that. :(**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Slytherin**

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for waiting so long for this chapter…writing actually made me feel better, but then I got really sick so I didn't feel like doing anything during the past week. Plus it was my birthday so I had to go out and do you know, birthday things. This chapter is on the longer side to make up for it though :) I edited it as much as possible, but again I wanted to give you this chapter since you waited so patiently. I'm pretty sure it's a good chapter though. However, fair warning: I wrote this at two in the morning so there may be grammar mistakes. If you catch any that I missed editing, PLEASE tell me either through PM or review. Speaking of which, don't forget to review! It really helps me figure out what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong, especially since only the first three chapters had a beta. Hopefully the later chapters will have a beta since I'll be back in school and my faithful beta readers can look them over (yes, sweetie, I'm talking to you). Alright, that's it for now.**

**Oh, and PS the brainy specs idea isn't mine...it came from the TV Children in Need special 'Time Crash'. It's on YouTube and I highly suggest watching it****.**

"_So, who is this terrible father of yours?" Severus asked him, lifting his trunk and placing it on the rack in the compartment._

"_I've got his name, unfortunately. He works for the Ministry. Department of Law Enforcement."_

"_Oh, you're dad's a Ministry bloke?"_

"_Yeah, he's always there. I don't understand why, the Ministry's so boring."_

"_Do you ever see him?"_

"_No. Unless you count the short time in the morning and the five minutes late at night when he's home."_

"_Definitely a stay-at-home father type then? My dad's a shopkeeper and my mum's a professional wizard's chess player. Or, at least, she was. The game isn't quite as popular as it used to be, she says."_

"_Is it just you, then?"_

"_Yeah, you?"_

"_Sort of. My parents always have house elves. One just died, so they're going to replace it once the school year's over."_

"_Must be nice to have house elves to do your work for you."_

"_Yeah, I suppose so."_

_The two boys took the seats opposite each other in order to continue talking, but just as he was about to ask Severus another question, two other students who looked to be in Severus's year came barging in. One of the boys was rather round, he thought, and the other was chubby but much taller. Neither of them looked particularly intelligent._

"_Honestly, you two. You'd think that you could be on time. This is our fourth year, you know," Severus said, glaring at the two._

"_I had a bit of trouble with my trunk," the rounder of the boys muttered._

"_And my owl wouldn't stop making a fuss," the other grumbled. Severus shook his head._

"_Sorry, Barty. This is Crabbe-" Severus motioned to the round boy. "-And Goyle. They're my…acquaintances." He wondered if Severus even had real friends._

"_Pleased to meet you," he greeted, reaching out his hand to shake with them._

"_What year is this one in?" Crabbe asked, narrowing his eyes._

"_He's a first year, can't you tell? Honestly Crabbe, you're rather thick," Severus scoffed._

"_What's your name?" Goyle turned to him._

"_Barty, Barty Crouch Jr. Say, who are those four boys over there? In the compartment across from us? They keep shouting at someone on the platform." Severus's already black eyes darkened._

"_Those are the 'Marauders'. They're really just a bunch of gits who think they're cool. They're probably shouting at my friend. Oh, here she comes. Lily! In here!" Severus waved to a red-haired girl who had just boarded the train. She saw who was in their compartment and wrinkled her nose; apparently she didn't approve of Crabbe or Goyle. However, upon seeing the so-called Marauders across from them, she quickly entered the compartment and lifted her trunk onto the rack next to the others._

"_Sev, please tell me you didn't purposely sit down across from them," Lily groaned, shutting the compartment door._

"_Of course not. They chose to sit across from us, I swear," Severus said quickly. Lily rolled her emerald green eyes. _

"_Oh, hello. Sorry, I should have introduced myself. I'm Lily, Lily Evans. And you are?"_

"_I'm Barty, Barty Crouch Jr.," he answered as Lily sat down next to him. Suddenly, a boy with untidy black hair that stuck up in every direction and round-framed glasses opened the compartment door. He was one of the four Marauders._

"_Oi, Evans, why don't you sit with my crowd and leave Severus to play with his chemistry set?" _

"_Leave me alone, Potter. I'm not interested, not in the slightest," Lily narrowed her eyes at the boy. As far as he could tell, this was a regular occurrence. _

"_Hey, Snivellus found a new friend. Who're you? I'm James, James Potter. But Lily calls me sexy," James said, grinning._

"_I'm Barty," he decided he didn't particularly care for James. _

"_I do NOT," Lily hissed._

"_You do, and you know it," James continued to grin._

"_Oi, James, the train's going to start moving!" A boy with shaggy black hair stood in the other compartment called._

"_Coming in a minute, mate. Alright Evans, this isn't over!" James said, walking back to his own seat._

"_Lily, can I please jinx him? Pretty please?"_

"_No, Sev. I don't need you starting trouble before we even get to Hogwarts," she sighed. Turning, she said, "I'm really sorry about him, Barty. Do your best to avoid him, okay?"_

"_What house is he in?" he agreed with Lily. He didn't like James at all._

"_Gryffindor," Severus muttered._

"_Hey, not all Gryffindors are bad. I'm a Gryffindor."_

"_Still think Slytherin's the best."_

"_What house do you want to be in, Barty?"_

"_No offense, but anything but Gryffindor," he answered sheepishly._

"_None taken. I suppose we're going to have to wait until your sorting to be sure."_

"_Yeah…"_

"_Don't worry Barty, Slytherin will love to have you," Severus said. The boys and Lily continued the rest of the train ride in silence, each consumed in their own thoughts; or, in Crabbe and Goyle's case, consuming food. He was worried about the sorting. Would the Sorting Hat place him in Gryffindor simply because he was a Crouch? Would it take his choice into account? He sure hoped so. He would rather die than wear the scarlet and gold robes of Gryffindor._

"_We better change, I expect we'll be arriving soon," Lily sighed, gathering her robes. The boys changed in silence. When Lily came back, the boys were already sitting back down; Crabbe and Goyle once again eating while he continued to worry about the sorting._

_It was possibly his nerves that sped up the journey, but they had arrived at Hogsmeade Station soon after. As they got off the train, Lily waved to him as he walked towards a giant man holding up a lantern. First years had to sail their way across the lake in order to enter the castle. He found that strange, time-consuming, and rather unnecessary, but he followed the rest of the first years anyway. He noticed right away that he was alone in his bored attitude towards entering Hogwarts. The rest of the students in his year were far more excited; all had awed looks on their faces or were chattering quickly to their neighbors._

_He got into a boat with a rather enthusiastic boy; he kept silent during the journey. As he and the first years entered the castle, a stern-looking woman greeted them._

"_Hello, first years, I am Professor McGonagall. In a few short moments, you will each be sorted into your houses. While you are at Hogwarts, your house will be like your family. At the end of the year, the house cup is awarded to the house with the most points. Answer questions correctly, complete tasks exceptionally, and you will gain points for your house. However, break any rules, and your house will lose points. The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. All houses are equally as important. The Sorting Hat will place you in the appropriate house, and there is no need to worry," Professor McGonagall looked as though she had given this speech many times and never forgot a single word. After she looked at each and every one of the first years, she turned on her heels. "If you would all follow me."_

_The first years entered a huge dining area known to him as the Great Hall. There were four tables, one for each of the houses, and they walked down the center to where an old hat was sitting on a wooden stool. After the nervous students had gathered in front of the hat, it opened its mouth and began to sing._

"_Let me tell you a tale from long ago_

_Of when Hogwarts was founded_

_There were four founders, as you know_

_From which many stories abounded_

_First there was wise Ravenclaw who was full of wit,_

_Then there was loyal Hufflepuff, who would never quit,_

_Next there was daring Gryffindor, who's bravery was rather stunning,_

_And lastly there was clever Slytherin, who was always rather cunning_

_Each house has a founder from which it got its name_

_Therefore each house is unique, and no two are quite the same_

_Before I sort you, there's something you should know_

_That although the houses always compete_

_They are all special and it shows." _

_The Sorting Hat finished its song and the Great Hall erupted in cheers. An old wizard at the front of the hall hurried to silence the students as Professor McGonagall retrieved a scroll and picked up the hat. She called each student up, one by one, in alphabetical order by last name, meaning that he was one of the first on the list. After four students went up, it was his turn._

"_Barty Crouch Jr.!" Professor McGonagall called. He swallowed and took a deep breath, walking calmly towards the stool. He sat down, facing the rest of the first years and the other students of the school. He spotted Severus at the Slytherin table, who waved. He gripped the stool tightly as Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on his head._

"_Ah, yes. Barty Crouch Jr. Most of the Crouch's ended up in Gryffindor, but where to put you…" the Sorting Hat whispered in his ear._

"_Not Gryffindor," he whispered._

"_Well, you're certainly brave. You'd do well in Gryffindor, but I'm not sure that's the house for you," the Sorting Hat muttered. He breathed a sigh of relief._

"_Thank you."_

"_Hmm…definitely hard-working. Hufflepuff? No, no…you're also intelligent, very intelligent. Perhaps Ravenclaw? But I suppose you're also rather cunning and confident in your abilities. No, Ravenclaw won't do. It better be…SLYTHERIN!" The Sorting Hat shouted the last word aloud and the students at the Slytherin table clapped as he walked to join them. Severus moved over and motioned for him to sit with the other fourth years. He waited patiently for the rest of the sorting to be finished, then watched as the old wizard stood up and faced the school._

"_Welcome all of you to Hogwarts, whether you be a returning student or a new face in our Great Hall tonight. I am the Headmaster, Professor Albus Dumbledore. First year students should be aware, and the rest of the school should be reminded, that the Dark Forest is strictly off-limits. Our game keeper, Hagrid-" the old man motioned to the giant who had helped the first years into the boats, "-will be watching and will report any students disobeying this rule. Furthermore, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has once again asked me to remind you that certain Zonko's products are banned. The list, I'm afraid, grows longer each year. Please go to Mr. Filch's office if you wish to see the full list. On a graver note, many of you, most likely the older students, have probably heard about a dark wizard by the name of Voldemort beginning to rise. I can assure you that he poses no threat at the present time, but if his threat increases, I can also assure you that Hogwarts is safe. Now, I believe we all need to eat!" Dumbledore clapped his hands and every food imaginable appeared on the tables. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until Dumbledore had mentioned food. Grabbing anything that looked good, he barely talked during dinner; instead, he used the time to think about how his father might react knowing that his son was placed in Slytherin. In all honesty, he didn't care how his father reacted. It didn't matter. He was a Slytherin, and he was proud._

The Doctor woke up to find Rose next to him with a concerned look on her face.

"Doctor, are you alright? Do you need anything?"

"No, Rose, I'm fine. I made that flashback happen. I was expecting it."

"Well, did you get a chance to read the document I sent you before you blacked out?"

"No," he mumbled. At least he had the decency to look sheepish as he stood up and walked over to the TARDIS console's monitor. Pulling up the document, he reached for his glasses and put them on, reading over the text.

"Do you really need those, or do you just think they make you look smart?" Rose asked, making light conversation as the Doctor analyzed the new information.

"Of course I need them, Rose. I'm 900 years old. Your eyesight would be bad too if you lived as long as me," the corner of the Doctor's mouth twitched. Rose gave him a look that clearly said she didn't believe him. "Oh, alright. No, I don't really need them. Regeneration is an excellent method for keeping perfect, crystal-clear 20/20 vision. They're my brainy specs… I rather like them. I haven't had a pair of brainy specs since oh—my fifth regeneration? It's nice to have them back. Though, naturally, they're much more modern. I think they make me look sexy," he said with a wink.

"You wish," Rose quipped. "Found anything yet?"

"Well, I know what the 'Slytherin' part is."

"Care to explain to the clueless human companion?"

"Oh, the clueless human companion isn't _that_ clueless. But it's from the school he went to. Hogwarts. It wouldn't be necessary to explain the full system to you. I think if I lock on to the school's location…" the Doctor muttered as he walked around the console, pushing buttons. "Oh yes! Hold on tight, Rose! We're going to Hogwarts!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Welcome to Hogwarts**

**A/N: Sorry, I had to put Teddy Lupin in it. He's such a cutie. I'm pretty sure this goes without saying, but I'm completely disregarding the Doctor's comments about the seventh book/Harry Potter in The Shakespeare Code. PS there's some Ten/Rose fluff in this, and also some Ten/Rose fluff coming up for my companion Zoe…I probably really suck at writing fluff and I'm sorry for that (I ruined writing fluff for my OTP jeez I'm a mess). But there's minimal fluff. Very minimal. Because although every part of me wants these two sweethearts to just get together already, that is not the point of this fic. But who knows, there could be more if I think it's right. I'm not sure when the next chapter is coming because I'd like to crank out at least two before I publish again since I've made you wait so long.**

Rose had absolutely no idea where they were going to end up. Would it be Earth? Would it be a completely different planet? Different dimensions, as she understood from what she had learned during her time in the TARDIS, could include anything; there could be alternate versions of planets, exact copies, no planets at all, the possibilities were endless. Rose's thoughts were interrupted as the Doctor put his foot on the console in order to press a button. This regeneration was clearly more…quirky? Energetic? Anyway, it distracted Rose entirely.

"Um, Doctor, do you need me to do that?" Rose asked, suppressing a grin and pointing to the button that was currently being held down by a red Converse trainer. The Doctor was taken by surprise; it hadn't occurred to him to have Rose help fly the TARDIS.

"Actually, that would be fantastic! Put your hand on that button there when I move and don't let go until I tell you, okay?"

"Okay," Rose obeyed, running over to where the Doctor was and placing her hand on the button. She glanced up and caught the Doctor looking at her with...was that pride? Rose had to duck her head again as her cheeks flushed scarlet. Apparently a new Doctor meant stronger feelings. Suddenly, there was a jolt and both Rose and the Doctor were thrown to the floor; laughing, the Doctor helped Rose up and ran to the doors. The Doctor's smile widened as he opened the TARDIS doors.

"Are we in Scotland?" he asked, poking his head out.

"It looks like it. I went to Scotland with mum once on holiday when I was ten," Rose said, joining the Doctor at the doors. The two stepped outside; it was quite clear that if they were in Scotland, it wasn't the Scotland they knew back home. The Doctor turned to the left and his eyes widened.

"Hogwarts. Look at that. That is a beauty right there. Rose, look at that castle!"

"What castle? All I see are ruins." The Doctor raised his sonic screwdriver and scanned Rose. "Oi, I'm not crazy or anything! I just don't see a castle! Maybe it's an alien thing."

"No, not crazy. The castle's just disguised when humans view it…interesting…hold on Rose, I'll have you seeing Hogwarts in no time," the Doctor fiddled with the settings on the sonic and scanned Rose again. As if by magic, Rose saw the ruins transform into an immense castle. _Magnificent_ was the only word that came to mind, but that didn't even begin to describe the school.

"Well, that's um, that's—"

"Yeah," was the Doctor's only response. For once, he was speechless. After he and Rose stood in awe of Hogwarts for a few moments, the Doctor broke the silence by scanning the area with his sonic screwdriver. "Definitely Scotland, just a different dimension."

"Huh. If only Scotland was this interesting back home."

"Well actually, Scotland _is _rather interesting back home. One of my favorite countries, actually. Did you know their national animal is a unicorn?"

"You're joking."

"No, how could I ever make that up? I was there when they decided it, too. Of course I was much younger then, but anyway…we need to find somewhere to learn more about Mr. Crouch," the Doctor turned to analyze their surroundings, and Rose did the same.

"Oh, there's a village. Maybe someone there knows something? Doctor? Doctor!" Rose ran to catch up with the Doctor, who had already started walking towards the small town.

"Hogsmeade. Bit of an unusual name for a village. I've never heard of it before," the Doctor frowned. Rose grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the nearest shop.

"Come on, someone has to know something," she said over her shoulder as the befuddled Doctor looked around. Suddenly, an eight-year-old boy with turquoise hair and caramel-colored eyes appeared in front of them; a woman who must have been his grandmother was next to him, fumbling with something in her hands.

"Gran, look!" the boy pulled free of his grandmother and ran over to where Rose and the Doctor were standing, stumbling a bit on the way.

"Oh, hello there! What's your name?" the Doctor asked, kneeling in front of the boy in order to be eye-level with him. He had once told Rose that being at eye-level meant you could carry on a conversation without belittling the other person, and nobody deserved to think that they were lesser than someone else.

"Hello! I'm Teddy Lupin. Who're you? And who's the pretty lady?" he beamed.

"Teddy, be careful! I'm sorry about him, he's got too much energy…takes after his mother, that one. I'm Andromeda Tonks, pleased to meet you," the older woman walked over, placing a hand on Teddy's shoulder and looking at the Doctor with a slightly fearful expression.

"That's quite alright. I'm the Doctor, and this 'pretty lady' here is Rose. You don't have to be afraid of me," he said, concern slipping into his voice as he addressed Andromeda.

"Sorry, sorry, you just…you look a lot like someone I used to know," she muttered and shook her head.

"Quite alright."

"Hi," Rose said awkwardly, looking at Teddy.

"The Doctor? Doctor who?" Teddy asked.

"Just the Doctor," he grinned. Then, whispering so only Rose could hear, "That question never gets old."

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Hey, look at what I can do!" Teddy said, scrunching up his face in concentration. To Rose's shock and the Doctor's amusement, Teddy's hair changed from turquoise to bright blue.

"That's cool, that's very cool," the Doctor smiled as Teddy's hair color changed back.

"Is there anything I could help you with? I don't believe I've seen you around before," Andromeda asked, turning to Rose.

"Yes, actually. We were, um…looking for information about someone. Perhaps you know him? Barty Crouch Jr. Yeah, that's his name…" Rose said. Andromeda's face darkened.

"I've heard of him. What do you want to know?" A new coldness had seeped into her voice that Rose didn't think was there before.

"Anything about him, really," Rose answered sheepishly.

"Teddy, why don't you go into Honeydukes and I'll be right there," Andromeda's eyes never left Rose; Teddy shrugged and ran into a sweet shop nearby. "He was a Death Eater, he was killed before the Second War, as is my understanding, and he impersonated the Auror Alastor 'Mad-eye' Moody in order to have access to Hogwarts. Didn't you read the Daily Prophet?"

"No, sorry, we're not from around here. Did you say Second War? Do you mean World War II?" the Doctor seemed thoroughly confused.

"World War II? That silly muggle war? No, the Second Wizard War. When You-Know-Who returned. Many lives were lost in that war…including Teddy's parents. Where exactly are you from? You sound as if you're from London, but you would have known about the war if you were."

"Oh, we're from a long way away. Could you tell me what year it is?" the Doctor searched Andromeda's face.

"It's 2006, why?"

"Modern times, so we're not in the future…but I've never heard of this war…" the Doctor muttered.

"Sorry, did you say Wizard War? And what are muggles? I think we may call them something different where I'm from," Rose tried to figure out what was happening, but she was completely lost.

"Of course, wizards! Aren't you wizards? Muggles, non-magical folk," Andromeda seemed just as confused as the Doctor and Rose, as though these should be things they knew.

"Oh, Rose, we are a long way away from home. I didn't even know this dimension existed. I thought it was a myth," the Doctor murmured.

"Thank you for your help," Rose said, turning to Andromeda. Andromeda nodded, then began to walk to the shop after Teddy.

"We're going to have to find a library," the Doctor sighed.

"Doctor, where are we? You said you didn't think this dimension existed?"

"I didn't. It was a myth on Gallifrey; there was a dimension that existed with wizards, witches, and magical creatures. I never thought it was real, just a bedtime story," the Doctor said, running his hands through his hair.

"Excuse me! Andromeda!" Rose called after the old woman's retreating back. She turned around.

"Yes?"

"Is there a library nearby?"

"Well, there's the Hogwarts library, but that's not open to the public, so unless you have official Hogwarts business they won't let you in. There's Flourish and Blotts, you know, the book shop in Diagon Alley. I'm afraid there's no books here," Andromeda seemed to disapprove of the lack of books in Hogsmeade.

"Thanks!" Rose shouted back.

"Psychic paper, then," the Doctor said, grabbing Rose's hand and walking towards the castle.

"But we don't even know what to show them," Rose pointed out.

"We'll just have to let the psychic paper choose then," the Doctor responded with a wink.

As they walked up towards the castle, a tall, shaggy-haired man covered in dirt emerged from the greenhouse.

"Hey! You lot! Where do you think you're going?" he asked as he approached them. His eyes widened in complete terror when he saw the Doctor.

"Oh, sorry. We were hoping to access the library…important research. As you can see, we're allowed to be here," the Doctor answered, holding up the psychic paper.

"That paper's blank, sir."

"Is it? That's brilliant, you're brilliant. I'm sorry, we should have introduced ourselves—I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose." The man's face seemed to relax a bit, though he still eyed the Doctor wearily.

"Professor Neville Longbottom. I teach Herbology here—sorry for the dirt," he flushed.

"Nice to meet you, professor. Could you possibly get us into the library? We just need to check some old records, it shouldn't take us more than half an hour and we'll keep out of the way as much as possible."

"Well, I don't think anybody will really be using the library. Most of the students are home for the holidays. It shouldn't be a problem, I'll just send an owl to tell the headmistress you're here," he responded with a good-natured grin.

_Owl?_ Rose mouthed to the Doctor. He shrugged. The professor whistled and a brown tawny owl flew to his side.

"I'm sorry, do you have any parchment on you? I seem to have misplaced mine…" the professor mumbled as he searched his pockets. The Doctor produced a small roll of old, brown paper and handed it to the professor. "Thanks, now where's my quill? Ah!"

The professor scribbled something on the parchment and tied it to the owl. After it flew off, the professor turned to the Doctor and Rose.

"Well, are you coming then?" the professor walked towards the great oak doors; the Doctor and Rose followed, whispering to each other.

"What sort of place _is_ this?" Rose whispered as quietly as she could despite her awe.

"Well, it's clearly another dimension. I think the wizards are slightly less technologically advanced than the…what was it? Muggles."

"Slightly?"

"Well, they do have magic, meaning they can use their brain functions far more than the average human being."

"There you are again with your science," Rose teased.

"Facts are better than fiction."

"Ah, here we are!" the professor interrupted their conversation and stopped next to a pair of huge wooden doors leading to the library.

"Thanks," Rose grinned.

"Well, here we go," the Doctor muttered, pushing the doors open.


End file.
